Air conditioner with rotatable snorkel

ABSTRACT

In the preferred form, a rectangular air conditioner is adapted to be mounted above, below or on either side of a window outside a building. It is provided with a snorkel type inlet and discharge duct capable of being connected to the air inlet and discharge of the air conditioner in at least four different orientations for communication through a portion of the window with a room inside the building. The electrical control unit may be provided on the room exposed portion of the snorkel duct and connected by conductors extending through the duct to the electrically powered units of the air conditioner.

United States Patent Preotie [54] AIR CONDITIONER WITH ROTATABLE SNORKEL John J. Preotle, Dayton, Ohio General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich.

22 Filed: June 8,1970

21 App1.No.: 44,338

[72] Inventor:

[73] Assignee:

3,296,820 1/1967 Bauman ..62/262 51 May 30, 1972 3,309,889 3/1967 Copp ..62/262 3,404,539 10/1968 Laing ..62/262 3,448,590 6/1969 Eberhart.. 62/262 [57] ABSTRACT In the preferred form, a rectangular air conditioner is adapted to be mounted above, below or on either side of a window outside a building. It is provided with a snorkel type inlet and discharge duct capable of being connected to the air inlet and discharge of the air conditioner in at least four different orientations for communication through a portion of the window with a room inside the building. The electrical control unit may be provided on the room exposed portion of the snorkel duct and connected by conductors extending through the duct to the electrically powered units of the air conditioner.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures Patented May 30, 1972 3,665,726

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN'TUR.

BY Zak? f/Zwi/e @a (M4. M

ATTORNEY Patented May 30, 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Md, V ATTORNEY AIR CONDITIONER WITH ROTATABLE SNORKEL This invention pertains to air circulating and air conditioning apparatus adapted to be located outside the window of a building and connected to a snorkel duct for communication with the interior.

For the purpose of keeping most of the noise outside the room and for avoiding taking up space within the room, it is desirable to locate an air conditioner outside the window of a room in such an arrangement as to minimize the obstruction of the window. However, to make this convenient in a wide variety of applications, it is desirable to make such an installation applicable to conventional and vertically slidable windows as well as horizontally slidable windows and to make it possible to locate the air conditioner above or below or at either side of the window.

It is an object of this invention to provide an air conditioner and duct arrangement which will make it convenient to install the air conditioner outside of the building in such a way that there is a minimum of obstruction out of the window and also a minimum of obstruction of light to the window.

It is another object of this invention to provide an air conditioner with a snorkel duct arrangement whereby the air conditioner can be located on either side or above or below the window and is connected by the snorkel duct arrangement with the interior of the room'which minimizes the obstruction of the window.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown.

In the drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exterior of a building provided with a vertically sliding double hung window and an air conditioner installation illustrating in full lines the preferred form of installation and illustrating in dot-dash lines an alternate form of installation;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the lines 22 of FIG. 1 illustrating the principal portions of the air conditioner and snorkle duct;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is another perspective view of a building within the window showing the air conditioner and snorkel duct arranged in full lines of the left side of the horizontally sliding window and illustrating in dot-dash lines an alternate position on the right side of the window.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. I, there is illustrated the side of the building provided with a double hung vertically slidable window 22 having an upper sash 24 and a lower sash 26. Supported upon the outside of the building with the greater portion extending beneath the window sill 28 is a rectangular air conditioner 30 including a casing 32 provided with an outer grille 34 through which outside air is drawn by a fan 36 and circulated through a condenser 38 before being returned through the grille 34 to the outside. The interior of the casing 32 is divided by a vertical dividing wall 40 into an indoor portion 41 and an outdoor portion 42 containing a sealed motor compressor unit 44 which delivers compressed refrigerant to the condenser 38 where compressed refrigerant is cooled by the outside air circulated by the fan 36 to liquefy the refrigerant for delivery under reduced pressure to the evaporator 46 located in the indoor portion 41 where the liquid refrigerant evaporates to produce a cooling effect and is returned through a suction line to the sealed motor compressor unit 44.

The condenser fan 36 is driven by an electrically operated fan motor 48 which also drives an evaporator fan 50 which draws air through the U-shaped outer passageway 52 between the outer walls 54 and the U'shaped inner wall 56 of the L- shaped snorkle duct 58 and thence to registering openings 60, 62, 64, 66 and 68 in the rectangular rear wall of the casing 32 of the air conditioner. The air conditioner is provided with a rectangular connecting rear wall surface 72 containing the openings 60-70. In the position shown, the opening 70 is closed by the adjacent wall of the duct 58.

The snorkel duct 58 has a rectangular connecting end vertical wall 92 fitting said connecting rear wall surface 72. The contacting rear wall surface 72 has a circular outlet opening 74' coinciding with a circular inlet opening 74" in end wall 92 defining has a central circular opening 74 which is coaxial with the fan 50 and the motor 48. The snorkel duct has an outlet passage 76 in rectangular duct section 77 which is formed within the U-shaped wall 56 and has its lower portion coaxial with the bottom portion of the outlet passage 76 and the fan 50 and extends upwardly therefrom between the parallel walls of the U-shaped partition wall 56 to the elbow portion 78 leaving through the combined inlet and discharge terminus 80 adapted to be exposed in the room to be cooled. The elbow portion 78 is provided with a suitable switch means 82 fastened beneath it or at any other suitable location provided with a control knob 84. The switch means 82 is connected by electrical conductor means 86 extending through the snorkel duct 58 and through the central circular opening 74 to the partition wall 40 and thence to the fan motor 48 and the sealed motor compressor unit 44. The elbow portion 78 of the snorkel duct 58 extends over the window sill 28 beneath the lower sash 26 and projects a short distance into the room inside the window 22. The window space between the sash 26 and the sill 28 or either side of the snorkle duct 58 are preferably closed by pillar panels 88.

The connecting inner end wall 92 of the snorkel duct 58 fits against the rear wall surface 72 of the casing 32. The connecting rear wall surface 12 and connecting end wall 92 are provided with an O-ring seal 90 surrounding the openings 74' and 74" to prevent leakage between the incoming air and the discharge air. The circular openings 74' and 74" are connected for relative rotation by a ring 91 U-shaped in cross sec-' tion having flanges connecting the snorkle duct andthe casing 32. The connecting end wall 92 of the snorkel 58 normally covering the opening 70 in the rear wall surface 72 of the casing 32 when the air conditioner is located beneath the window. With this installation only a short end of the elbow 78 of the snorkel duct 58 projects into the room. Only a small portion of the window opening is obstructed and there is very little obstruction of light to the window.

For various reasons it may be desired to locate the air conditioner above the window. This will make the air conditioner less vulnerable to vandalism and also make it possible to provide other things such as flowers beneath the window. As shown in dot-dash outline the air conditioner casing 132 is fastened to the building above the window 22. In this form, the L-shaped snorkel duct 158 is inverted and the elbow portion projects through the top of the window above the upper window sash 24. Fillers similar to the fillers 88 complete the closure of the opening. The air conditioning unit within the easing 132 may be substantially like the air conditioning system within the casing 32. The snorkel duct 148 may be identical to the snorkle duct 58. With the snorkel duct inverted, the opening 60 is closed by the wall 92 of the snorkel duct while the opening 70 opens into the U-shaped passage 52 of the snorkel duct. The operation and the air circulation will be substantially as sufficient in the upper installation as in the lower installation.

In the form shown in FIG. 5, the air conditioner 230 has its casing 232 fastened to the side of a building 220 located on the left side of a window 222 above the sill 228. This window has two horizontally slidable sashes 224 and 226. The casing 232 has connected to it an L-shaped snorkel duct 258 which is identical to the snorkel duct 58 with the exception that it is turned 90 relative to the casing 232. The elbow portion 278 of the snorkle duct 258 extends into the left side of the window opening for communication with the room within the building 220. The window sash 224 is held in contact with the adjacent side of the elbow portion 278. The space between the window sash 224 and the adjacent side of the window 222 above the elbow portion 278 is filled by a vertical filler panel 288. In this arrangement the air conditioner 230 and the snorkel duct 258 operate in a manner similar to that shown in either of the previous forms with the upper and lower portions of the snorkel duct 258 servingas the inlet passage and the central portion serving as the discharge passage.

In dot-dash outline, in FIG. 5, there is also shown the arrangement wherein the air conditioner casing 332 is fastened outside the building on the right side of the window 222 above the sill 228. It is provided with a similar L-shaped snorkel duct 358 which is oriented 180 from the position of the snorkel duct 258. it is placed against the right side of the window 222 above the sill 228 and its elbow portion is contacted on its left side by the window sash 226. The space above the elbow portion is filled by a filler panel similar to the panel 288. Should there be any necessity, the snorkel duct may be placed at other convenient angles for situations wherein it is desired that the elbow portion be at an acute angle relative to the horizontal or vertical.

Thus, my arrangement provides for the location of the air conditioner entirely outside of the window located for minimum obstruction to light through the window. It is applicable to various types of windows particularly the common double hung vertically slidable windows as well as the common double sash horizontally slidable windows.

While the embodiments of the invention as herein disclosed constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

I claim 1 A room air conditioning unit for mounting either above or below a window opening having vertically slidable sashes comprising an air conditioner casing of rectangular parallelepipedal shape with a refrigerating system therein and an L- shaped snorkel duct member, said casing and said snorkel duct member each having a rectangular vertical wall positioned in flush surface contact relation with each other, said air conditioner casing rectangular vertical wall containing air inlet means in the form of a plurality of peripheral top, bottom and side inlet openings arranged in a rectangular pattern and air outlet means in the form of a central circular outlet opening located within said pattern of inlet openings, an air evaporator fan located within said air conditioner casing for circulating air from said peripheral inlet openings to said cen tral outlet opening, said snorkel duct member including a rectangular duct section terminating on its upper side in a right-angled elbow section, said duct section vertical wall including a circular inlet opening coinciding with said casing vertical wall circular outlet opening, said rectangular duct section having an inner wall of u-shaped semicircular cross section forming a U-shaped inlet passageway between said U- shaped wall and said snorkel duct rectangular section, said U- shaped inner wall positioned with its semicircular portion in substantial concentric alignment with said duct section vertical wall central circular outlet, said duct section vertical wall having peripheral outlet openings arranged in a U-shaped pattern around said circular inlet so as to be in air flow communication with said side and bottom inlet openings of said casing vertical wall, said elbow duct section having a horizontal duct portion for extending through the window opening below the window sash and a vertical duct portion communicating with said rectangular duct section, the upper portion of said snorkel-duct vertical wall normally closing said casing vertical wall top inlet openings when the air conditioner unit is located beneath the window, said casing and said snorkel duct being relatively rotatable at their vertical wall juncture by a connecting ring having a U-shaped cross section enclosing the periphery of said casing circular outlet opening and the periphery of said duct member circular inlet opening, said connecting ring operative to permit rotation of said snorkel duct member relative to said air conditioner casing whereby said snorkel duct member can be inverted by rotating said duct member about the common axis of the coinciding casing circular outlet and duct member circular inlet opening, the rotation causing said casing bottom inlet openings to be closed by said snorkel duct vertical wall and causing said casing top inlet openings to be placed in communication with said U-shaped passage thereby allowing said air conditioner unit to be alternatively located above the window with said horizontal duct portion of said elbow duct section in position to extend through the top of the window above the window sash. 

1. A room air conditioning unit for mounting either above or below a window opening having vertically slidable sashes comprising an air conditioner casing of rectangular parallelepipedal shape with a refrigerating system therein and an L-shaped snorkel duct member, said casing and said snorkel duct member each having a rectangular vertical wall positioned in flush surface contact relation with each other, said air conditioner casing rectangular vertical wall containing air inlet means in the form of a plurality of peripheral top, bottom and side inlet openings arranged In a rectangular pattern and air outlet means in the form of a central circular outlet opening located within said pattern of inlet openings, an air evaporator fan located within said air conditioner casing for circulating air from said peripheral inlet openings to said central outlet opening, said snorkel duct member including a rectangular duct section terminating on its upper side in a right-angled elbow section, said duct section vertical wall including a circular inlet opening coinciding with said casing vertical wall circular outlet opening, said rectangular duct section having an inner wall of u-shaped semicircular cross section forming a U-shaped inlet passageway between said U-shaped wall and said snorkel duct rectangular section, said U-shaped inner wall positioned with its semicircular portion in substantial concentric alignment with said duct section vertical wall central circular outlet, said duct section vertical wall having peripheral outlet openings arranged in a U-shaped pattern around said circular inlet so as to be in air flow communication with said side and bottom inlet openings of said casing vertical wall, said elbow duct section having a horizontal duct portion for extending through the window opening below the window sash and a vertical duct portion communicating with said rectangular duct section, the upper portion of said snorkel-duct vertical wall normally closing said casing vertical wall top inlet openings when the air conditioner unit is located beneath the window, said casing and said snorkel duct being relatively rotatable at their vertical wall juncture by a connecting ring having a U-shaped cross section enclosing the periphery of said casing circular outlet opening and the periphery of said duct member circular inlet opening, said connecting ring operative to permit rotation of said snorkel duct member relative to said air conditioner casing whereby said snorkel duct member can be inverted 180* by rotating said duct member about the common axis of the coinciding casing circular outlet and duct member circular inlet opening, the rotation causing said casing bottom inlet openings to be closed by said snorkel duct vertical wall and causing said casing top inlet openings to be placed in communication with said U-shaped passage thereby allowing said air conditioner unit to be alternatively located above the window with said horizontal duct portion of said elbow duct section in position to extend through the top of the window above the window sash. 